From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdefusede‧fuse /ˌdiːˈfjuːz/ verb [transitive]1CALMto improve a difficult or dangerous situation, for example by making people less angry or by dealing with the causes of a problemdefuse a situation/crisis/row etcBeth’s quiet voice helped to defuse the situation.defuse tension/anger etcThe agreement was regarded as a means of defusing ethnic tensions.2SCBto remove the fuse from a bomb in order to prevent it from exploding→ See Verb table